High Speed Transport and Government Funding the Key to Western Sydney Airport

Release Date: 4/05/2015

A new report examining the future of Western Sydney’s First International airport has called on increased Government funding to encourage airlines to use the site, as well as significant investment in fast transport links to the city, Liverpool and Parramatta.

The report: A Western Sydney Aerotropolis commissioned by The NSW Business Chamber, authored by leading academic John Kasarda, examines the opportunities available for the Airport with the aim of ensuring long term aviation capacity to drive economic growth for Western Sydney.

David Borger, Western Sydney Director of the Sydney Business Chamber said, “Attracting business investment is absolutely critical if we are to maximise the airport’s potential. A big-picture approach that integrates urban and regional planning considerations, with opportunities for commercial development, will boost economic activity and create jobs to support the region’s growing population.”

The report recommends an Aerotropolis model for Western Sydney airport, wherein the airport site would become a hub for all forms of business including retail, residential, logistics, tourism and health and medical facilities.

To build a thriving, successful Aerotropolis for Western Sydney, Mr Kasarda recommends business and government invest in the following:

Transport: Passengers need to access the Western Sydney Airport in no more than 45 minutes

Passenger numbers: Governments and airline operators should consider incentivising the relocation of airlines during the initial years of the Airport’s operation to address the passenger-demand risks inherent with any new airport

Construction: Government must work with the private sector to develop innovative financial instruments to make investment in airport construction by the private sector financially feasible

Dr Kasarda said, “A fully functioning Western Sydney airport could generate widespread economic, social and community benefits for the region, and sharpen the entire Sydney basin’s competitive edge to help create a more prosperous, global city region.

“Improving the speed and reliability of transport networks is crucial to the airport’s success. Governments at both the state and federal level must invest in express motorway and rail infrastructure to reduce travel time to no more than 45 minutes, even in peak traffic from the airport to Sydney City, Parramatta and Liverpool CBD if they are to make a Western Sydney aerotropolis a reality,” said Dr Kasarda.

Mr Borger said, “The real opportunity for our region is to use this new airport to reshape the industrial landscape of Western Sydney and see the potential for new companies to gravitate to the precinct surrounding the airport.”

“Planning for Western Sydney’s first international airport is a significant and defining moment for our region; if we get it right, we will completely transform Western Sydney and ensure its prosperity for generations to come,” said Mr Borger.